Plenty of targets in looming trade market, but at what cost? MLB Insider

View full sizeBen Margot, Associated PressWhether the Indians are pursuing Oakland's Josh Willingham or a more high-profile boost to their lineup, there are plenty of questions -- and options -- facing the team's decision-makers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There are a lot of good players available at the July 31 trade deadline who would improve the Indians. It all depends on what they cost.

Outfielders Carlos Beltran, Hunter Pence and B.J. Upton are available in various degrees. Beltran and Pence would fill manager Manny Acta's need for a middle of the order right-handed hitter in the wake of injuries to Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo. Since Beltran is a switch-hitter, he could help in from the left side as well.

Upton has been at the top of the order for the Rays, but here's betting Acta could find a way to fit him into his run-starved lineup.

Right-handers Ubaldo Jimenez of Colorado and Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers would be a good fit in a rotation that has two to three question marks every time it turns itself over. The Indians have talked to the Dodgers about Kuroda, 36. He's in a one-year, $12 million deal with a full no-trade clause.

Beltran has a no-trade clause and is making $18.5 million this year. He has contract language that would prevent a team from offering him arbitration this winter when he becomes a free agent. For a team like the Indians, who could use the draft picks Beltran could bring if he refused their arbitration offer and signed elsewhere, it means he'd strictly a rental player.

Baseball week in review

Three up

1. Detroit’s Justin Verlanderis 6-1 with a 1.84 ERA in seven starts against the AL Central this season.

2. Joe Mauer, the Twins’ All-Star catcher, is hitting .550 (11-for-20) at first base this season.

3. Jered Weaver’s 1.81 ERA is the lowest ever for an Angels starter after 21 starts in a season.

2. After hitting 64 homers off lefties over the past five seasons, Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard, according to STATS LLC, hasn’t homered once against a lefty this year.

3. The Rays have scored two or fewer runs in 10 of James Shields’ 21 starts.

Stat-o-matic

Bird hunter: Boston’s Jacoby Ellsburyhas a 29-game hitting streak against the Orioles in which he’s batting .455 with six homers and 20 RBI.

Big entrance: The Padres sent 22 men to the plate and scored 13 runs on 14 hits — including two hits and four RBI by Ryan Ludwick — in the first two innings Wednesday in a 14-3 victory over the Marlins.

Deep depth: When the Phillies have trouble in the rotation with injuries, they call on starter Vance Worley, who is 6-1 with a 2.02 ERA.

New ownership in Houston will certainly have a lot to say about whether Pence, one of their best young players, is traded. In the cases of Pence and Jimenez it might be that the Astros and Rockies are just trying to gauge their value. Or dangling them in the hopes of making a Bartolo Colon for Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Cliff Lee-type deal.

"Sometimes teams want people to kick the tires on their players just to see what they're worth," said one team executive.

"We've made it clear that we will not sacrifice our future," said Acta.

There is also this thought: If the Indians make the postseason this year, are they good enough to win the World Series? Today the answer has to be no, so that would have to temper what kind of players GM Chris Antonetti would obtain and give up.

There are still ways for the Indians to improve themselves. They have tried all season to get production from second base. At first it was Orlando Cabrera. Then it was O-Cab and Cord Phelps, O-Cab and Luis Valbuena and now O-Cab and Kipnis. What about bringing back Jamey Carroll?

The Indians have talked to the Dodgers about Carroll. Those talks may have cooled with the arrival of Kipnis, but it seems like a good fit. The Tigers last week obtained third baseman Wilson Betemit from Kansas City. Betemit has a track record in the AL Central, just as Carroll did when he played for the Tribe.

San Diego outfielder Ryan Ludwick and right-hander Aaron Harang are two players the Indians have shown an interest in. Ludwick played with the Indians from 2003-05, but spent a lot of that time on the disabled list. Oakland's Josh Willingham, another right-handed hitting outfielder, is a possibility. He played for Acta in Washington. Oakland's Coco Crisp, another former Indian, has been mentioned. That fit is harder to understand because Crisp has struggled to stay healthy over the last three years.

After Kipnis, Chisenhall, White and Pomeranz, the Indians have players to deal. Starters David Huff, Jeanmar Gomez, Zach McAllister and Scott Barnes have had success at Columbus. They have relievers in the big leagues and minors and middle infielders at Columbus.

If the Twins ever decide to raise the white flag, how good would Michael Cuddyer look in right field for the Tribe?

The makings for a deal are there and something almost assuredly will happen.

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